The instant invention relates to children's activity centers, and more particularly to an activity center which is convertible between a bouncer-type activity center, and a stationary play table.
Children's activity centers have heretofore been known in the art. In this regard, one type of well known activity center comprises a walker toy including a tray, a seat in the middle of the tray and wheels rotatably mounted to the assembly. Such walker-type devices have been popular for many years. However, due to the obvious hazards of having a child freely mobilized on wheels, the recent trend in activity centers has been to create devices which do not have wheels so as to restrict the movement of a child seated therein. In this regard, a variety of different stationary play centers have also been known in the art. These stationary devices are typically very similar to the prior walker devices, with the exception that they are mounted on legs rather than wheels, or alternatively they are mounted on rocking assemblies which provide for rocking movement, yet do not allow mobility. While each of the prior art devices is functional and effective for its intended purpose, there is an ongoing consumer desire for new and improved activity center products which provide new functionality.
The instant invention provides a convertible activity center which is convertible between a bouncer-type stationary seat configuration and a play table configuration. The activity center includes a tray-shaped body portion having a generally planar play surface and a central opening therein, and a plurality of adjustable leg assemblies which are pivotably mounted to the body portion for supporting the body portion in a stationary position on a supporting surface. The activity center further includes a removable seat assembly which can be selectively mounted within the central opening to provide the bouncer-type seat configuration. The seat assembly and body portion are constructed so that the seat assembly is rotatable relative to the body portion for added play value, and such that a child seated in the seat can reach and play with toys placed on the surrounding play surface. The leg assemblies include upper and lower telescoping portions which are adjustable in height to provide different height settings as the child grows. Furthermore, to provide a bouncing action, the leg assemblies further include a telescoping foot portion and an internal spring arrangement captured between the foot portion and the lower leg portion which allows the upper portions of the leg and the body portion to resiliently bounce relative to the foot portion which engages the floor. A locking mechanism is provided on the legs for selectively locking out the bouncing feature. The locking mechanism extends between the lower leg portion and the foot portion to prevent movement of the lower leg portion relative to the foot portion. When the child reaches a standing or walking stage of development, the activity center can be converted into a table configuration by removing the seat assembly from the central opening and mounting a planar table top insert within the central opening to provide a continuous planar play surface on the top of the body portion. In the play table configuration, the bouncing feature would be locked out on the legs to provide a stable play surface, while the legs can be adjusted to different height levels depending on the needs of the particular child using the table. For shipping and storage of the assembly, the leg assemblies are pivotably movable to a storage position beneath the play surface. In this regard, the leg assemblies are mounted to the body portion in offset relation so that the leg assemblies are received in nested co-planar relation adjacent to the underside of the play surface when pivoted to the storage position.
Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of a children's activity center which is convertible between a bouncer-type activity center and a play table; the provision of such an activity center wherein the body portion includes a planar play surface and a central opening therein; the provision of such an activity center wherein a removable seat assembly is rotatably received in the central opening to form a seated bouncer-type activity center; the provision of such an activity center further comprising a table top insert which is alternatively received in the central opening of the body portion to form an activity table; the provision of such an activity center which is adjustable in height in either the bouncer configuration or the table configuration; the provision of such an activity center wherein the body portion is resiliently movable relative to the support legs to provide a bouncing action in the bouncer configuration; the provision of such an activity center further including a locking mechanism to selectively lock or unlock the bouncing action in either the bouncer configuration or the table configuration; and the provision of such an activity center wherein the legs are pivotably mounted to the body portion in offset relation so that the leg assemblies are received in nested relation adjacent to the underside of the play surface of the body portion.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.